What Would This Area of Land Be Used For?

[coinman123]

Hello guys! Recently, I have found a decent amount of cellar holes using LiDAR. Anyways, the best looking one seems to be deep in the public woods behind a school, around a quarter mile off of a nature trail. I am willing to take the hike though, having recently gone around .8 miles through the woods without trails in a nearby town forest, my phone with GPS on it died when I got there unfortunately. Lucky, I made sure to check where the sun was before I went off trail, and walked back that way, walking at a slight angle to the left, because I had to walk at a slight angle to the right on the way there. I made it back almost exactly where I went off trail somehow! Anyways, I haven't been out yet to check the really nice cellar hole that I mentioned. One thing that I think is interesting, is that according the LiDAR image, 10 feet or so behind it is a tiny enclosed area, a square space around 50 by 50 feet, enclosed by large stone walls. I am wondering what such a space would be used for, not nearly as big as most of the abandoned wooded farm fields that I find in the woods. The cellar hole does not appear on any maps, with the earliest available map being from the 1850's. I am almost certain that it is virgin ground, as no one would no about such a cellar hole that doesn't appear in any maps, and is pretty far off of the trail. Does anyone have any idea what this space could be used for, and if it would be good to metal detect? Thanks!

 

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[CaptEsteban]

Do you have any pictures of the area & the wall ? How tall are the walls ?

 

[pepperj]

The places that you mention are pre/post of the mapping system.
I have run into many locations that were not on the historical mapping as there were already abandoned or yet to be built.
The time is nearing for you to take another walk with coil on the ground, to really see if your sites will produce some keepers.
I know I'd be getting my hiking boots on if I had the information. Best of luck on the hunt.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Good luck at the new place, hope you score big!

 

[coinman123]

The places that you mention are pre/post of the mapping system.
I have run into many locations that were not on the historical mapping as there were already abandoned or yet to be built.
The time is nearing for you to take another walk with coil on the ground, to really see if your sites will produce some keepers.
I know I'd be getting my hiking boots on if I had the information. Best of luck on the hunt.

Thanks! I hope I can get out and check this place soon! Sometimes it ends up turning out fantastic going to a site on the LiDAR that doesn't appear on any maps (last one gave me Spanish silver and over 100 buttons!), other people rarely know the locations of the cellar holes off trail that don't appear on any maps. Other times they end up just being trenches and not even cellar holes. Considering that this one is shaped like a perfect rectangle, I would assume that it might be a true cellar hole. I checked every single map starting from the 1850's, until present times. It doesn't appear on any, so if it is a cellar hole I would assume it was gone before the 1850's. The other cellar hole that I mentioned, the only .8 miles into the woods, was not a cellar hole, but a 4 or 5 foot deep trench in the middle of the woods around the size of a typical cellar hole, but not lined with stones.

 

[coinman123]

You can see the enclosed stonewall area below it on Google Earth actually, too many trees where the cellar hole would be though.

 

[pepperj]

View attachment 1556112

You can see the enclosed stonewall area below it on Google Earth actually, too many trees where the cellar hole would be though.

Very cool way of looking at things. I wish they had it for Eastern Ontario as I have looked and there was mapping but can't get past first base with the system.

 

[MUDSLINGER]

perhaps a pen to contain cattle, sheep, goats,oxen

 

[against the wind]

Make sure you're not digging in a graveyard??

 

[sawmill man]

I would think a livestock pen also, maby hogs ? you know if they dropped something in a hog pen they would not find it again . be worth a look for sure. Man i sure wish i could get lidar.

 

[Red James Cash]

Bring a compass next time,your luck might not hold out.lol.You could of ended up walking in a big circle as one leg is always stronger than the other.Youll end up walking in a big circle if you don't pick points to walk to straight ahead of you.

 

[mendoAu]

"but a 4 or 5 foot deep trench in the middle of the woods around the size of a typical cellar hole, but not lined with stones. "

Might have at one time had a small little building with a half moon on the door....HA!

 

[Plumbata]

It looks like a paddock for livestock or horses, and I'd bet a dollar that the gate/entrance was at the upper-left! I'd hit that entrance area hard, wrangling unruly animals and mounting/dismounting in the area likely caused more than a few goodies to get lost back in the day. Looks very promising, keep us updated!

 

[coinman123]

Going tomorrow probably, have some time in the afternoon. Do you guys think I am right in assuming that this is a cellar hole? I always get worried I will drive 25 minutes away and have a promising looking area be a crater.

 

[pepperj]

Going tomorrow probably, have some time in the afternoon. Do you guys think I am right in assuming that this is a cellar hole? I always get worried I will drive 25 minutes away and have a promising looking area be a crater.

You might drive 25 minutes but its better than thinking what it might of been for hours, days, or years down the road.
If it turns out to be a producing site well them put a feather in the hat for the success in your research methods for finding a site.
If it turns out to be a crater and nothing else well it's still a piece of knowledge gained from the school of hard knocks, and those are a notch on the belt of life.
So either way you gain knowledge of seeking out older sites.

Best of luck on the exploration.

 

[devldog]

This sounds promising. The Best of Luck to you in your return trip.

 

[sprailroad]

You might drive 25 minutes but its better than thinking what it might of been for hours, days, or years down the road.
If it turns out to be a producing site well them put a feather in the hat for the success in your research methods for finding a site.
If it turns out to be a crater and nothing else well it's still a piece of knowledge gained from the school of hard knocks, and those are a notch on the belt of life.
So either way you gain knowledge of seeking out older sites.

Best of luck on the exploration.

pepperj is so right....Even if it were a "bust", at least that one would be cleared from thought, rather then always wondering about it, it sure looks good. I think you need to go back with your detector. Better than that, I think WE need for you to go back with your detector?

 

[coinman123]

Well, I went out today and found it. Perfect rectangular cellar hole, lined with stones. I realized my metal detector was at only one bar, and acting poorly, so I only stayed for 20 minutes. I ended up finding 2 buttons, and a 1700's era hoe head in the time I was there!